What do you mean “Fighters In The East Are More Successful Than Fighters In The West”? And ever heard of Georges Saint-Pierre, Randy Couture or Conor McGregor, you arrogant French bastard? Settle down, Johnny Texas. We will speak not about what makes champions, but mainly what makes the average “Eastern” fighter knock people unconscious more often than his “Western” counterpart.
For the nations that I describe as “Eastern” and “Western”:
Eastern nations are the ones that extend from Europe to Asia and have been at some point under the influence of the Soviet Union. They are marked in red on the map. Western nations include the Anglosphere and the Western European nations. They are marked in blue on the map.
For the period, we will focus on recent history, from the collapse of the Soviet Union until now. Here are the factors that can influence the success of fighters coming from the “Eastern” group:
1. A stronger “father to son” culture of fighting
This is where it all starts. Can you remember who introduced you to martial arts? It was my grandfather in my case. My father knows how to scrap but did not teach me. However, I consider myself lucky. If you are from the West, how many of your acquaintances are martial artists and were introduced to it by an older male relative?
It is more common in the Eastern nations. They start younger than us. The father gets his son to the boxing gym so he becomes a man that can defend himself or out of habit because his father did the same. It is in the fabric of their society.
2. An older civilization
When we take into account the age of young nations such as the USA or Australia and we compare it to entities like Russia or Romania, it is easy to understand why a civilization with traditional fighting styles that had a longer time to develop would produce better martial artists.
But what about countries like the United Kingdom or Germany that also have a deeply rooted martial tradition and are fairly old nations? As we have observed in the last 30 years or so, this whole heritage of martial culture is disappearing with the cultural decline that attacks values linked to masculinity, like the ability to fight well. This is a phenomenon that has not reached (as fast) the Eastern nations.
3. A stronger presence of martial arts in their traditional culture
Every bloody Georgian kid has trained chidaoba and has fought in a sandy arena in the mountains. Every young Mongolian male knows how to wrestle because those are the three things a Mongolian man must know how to do: ride a horse, wrestle, and shoot a bow.
There are simply more martial arts practitioners per capita in the Eastern nations than in the Western ones, hence having a larger chance to see an exceptionally skilled fighter rise among them.
4. A stricter diet
Life in the socialist times was tough and the waiting lines in front of the shops to get food are no invention. They are still very present in the mind of the people.
But the results had to be there regardless. Between two fighters of equal weight that need to reach the same result, with one being underfed and the other one with a good diet available, what makes the difference? Longer hours of training and harder work
5. A larger number of competitive events
In the Eastern nations, those martial art competitions are everywhere and take place ALL THE TIME. But the difference is that in the West, as you have probably noticed, the goal is to have fun and spar sometimes. Whereas in the East, the focus is brought on full contact and winning trophies.
Imagine how many opponents the champion of Ukraine in judo had to defeat to be where he is, compared to the champion of Spain (with a similar number of inhabitants)?
Compare the medal tables of the following sports: judo, wrestling, and boxing. The Eastern nations are always present in the Top 20. The Soviet Union is usually in the top five, if not leading like in wrestling (with the notable exception of the results of the United States and Great Britain in boxing).
6. A stronger drive
Growing up in those troubled times, young “Eastern” men found solace in the fight. A way to forget about their daily life for a few hours. A way to get out of this misery.
Do you know many Western champions that can say the same?
The mental aspect is different in the Western nations. They see these activities as sports and quite often a hobby. The Eastern nations consider it as an essential element in a man’s life.
7. A greater support of the state
There is an instructional film called “Let’s Learn Judo with Vladimir Putin.” And yes, I have it.
The USSR and its satellites dedicated millions of hours and roubles to reach the top of the martial arts food chain. They still do it now. A martial art like Sambo was first ordered to be experimented with on the battlefields of WWII by Russian military headquarters. The state intervened directly in its development and popularity, creating the perfect “Soviet fighting system.”
When did the U.S.A actively support their young men to fight better and be stronger human beings since the end of the Cold War? Can you think of a “Western” leader that has a background in martial arts?
8. A harsher climate
These Eastern nations are known to be more mountainous and have colder climates. The benefits of winter and mountain training for red blood cells and various other athletic capacities are well documented.
A fighter that has trained for an extended period in the Armenian mountains or the Mongolian steppe will be a tougher organism than a Dutch fighter that spent all his training sessions indoors in Rotterdam.
The counter argument would be that there are Western zones with harsh climates as well. It is true, but do you know many Swedish martial arts champions compared to a small mountainous region such as Chechnya?
9. A poorer system of infrastructure
Recent, state of the art gyms and brand new squat racks are a rarity outside of the big cities in the Eastern nations. They are poorer so they have to replace money by ingenuity. Tractor equipment, steel pipes, tree trunks… anything will do.
The feeling of humility that comes with this lack of means cannot really be described. But anyone that has seen a McDojo and a “real” boxing gym will know what I mean.
10. A lesser sense of ethics when victory is at stake
Victory. Victory at all cost. Nothing else matters. “What matters is to take part is what losers say” could have been the motto of more than one Soviet fighting federation. Illegal substances back in the communist times, dirty methods, secret programs… No stone was left unturned to fight and defeat the big evil West during the Cold War. And old habits die hard.
11. A stronger bond between young men
There is a widespread “fighters’ club” culture in the East between wrestlers, boxers, and MMA lads. You always see them going out together, banging the same girls, drinking together. There is a spirit of camaraderie in these Eastern tight-knit communities that I have seldom witnessed in the West.
12. A tougher award system
The diplomas and awards in martial arts are not here for show, and not everyone that participates obtains them in the “East.” There is no such thing as a “consolation prize.” It is not the law of “here is a medal because you showed up.”
Merit is key—the competition is everywhere and the expectations are high.
13. A rougher approach to failure
From an early age, the “Easterners” are molded into the frame of always doing better. I never heard, even after years of practice, the words “very good” in an Eastern European coach’s mouth towards the students. And I cannot keep count of the times I heard the words “This is shit” or “Do it better.”
Dimitri the coach will call you a fucking fag if you don’t dodge the punches fast enough. It has two possible outcomes: either you give it up altogether and sulk or you work harder to progress.
Conclusion
I can see the haters coming, guns blazing and calling me names. But the facts are here. I am a Westerner and I say it: the Easterners are generally tougher. The correct response is to see what does not work, and bring our Western fighting culture in the right direction. For every fellow fighter out there, it is a great experience to train in a former USSR gym. You learn a lot and the methods and expectations are radically different.
We have to apply constructive criticism, bring solutions for the present and future generation of Western fighters. Injecting more masculinity and fighting culture in the West, we can reach similar results. Also, Trump and Putin should spar and organize a boxing match with one another
Here is some motivation from the East:
Save the “very goods” for actual victories.
Excellent write up.
In regards to points 12 & 13: I did competitive TKD for many years and it always bugged me how essentially everyone was a “winner.” What do I mean by this?
AAU Taekwondo Qualifier Tournaments for Nationals
The top 8 -you heard me right, eight- competitors from each division are qualified to compete at the AAU Nationals each year. What does this translate to? Pretty much if you go and compete, you’re qualified for Nationals because there are rarely 8+ people in any division. On top of that, you don’t even need to place in your particular event to compete in the others. I can get 8th place in Forms (Katas) and then go compete in full-contact Olympic-style sparring at the Nationals.
Out of the regional competitions in the west, they are just not enough competitors. I saw a few times someone getting the gold medal because no one turned up on the mat.
One of the reasons that the media downplays Russian/Eastern athletes is because the media is influenced by subversive secular Jews (Tony Kornheiser, Rich Eisen, Howard Cossell, Chris Berman, etc). These “Jews” have an ongoing disdain for anything excellent that comes out of Russia – athletes included. So they continue to say that “there are no good fighters,” etc. in the heavyweight division. Blah, blah, blah. Meanwhile they have turned sports into an ongoing soap opera of contentious dialoge.
In addition, as it relates to boxing, these factions love to tongue punch the asshole of Mohammed Ali. The reason they do this is because Ali was anti-establishment – just like they are. Let’s face it, here is a guy that repeatedly called Joe Frazier a gorilla, even going so far as punching a toy gorilla in front of him. Then a few years later, Ali vocally spoke out against whites and black marrying one another so that the black race could remain “pure.” And then for a kicker, he converts to Islam.
If Ali was a white boxer, he would have been ostracized from the media years ago as a blatant racist: just like they did to Ty Cobb.
Don’t forget Jim Rome and his incessant howling on CBS Sports.
Also, I didn’t know Chris Berman was a Jew..not sure how to process that, but according to jewornotjew (take that for what you will) he is actuallya practicing Jew.
Rome is the biggest shit stirrer of them all.
Ali..the greatest entertainer ever.
Those jews probably want Khazar back
Nonsense, Muslim black men are the worse of the worse. Also race is a Communist term
“Race is a communist term”
Lol no, go back to John Birch and the National Review.
That’s suppose to be a rebuttal? Try researching the origins of said terms
Exactly, using a semantic ambiguity to dispute an objective fact.
There’s your rebuttal you pseudo intellectual.
What “objective” fact?
Matt Edge is a troll/fanboy faggot. Everything pro Russia and anti American in his comments. Don’t take him seriously.
lol Thanks for the heads up
That’s not going to win you the debate.
Cry harder.
You’re the one disputing race. Make your case and quit stalling.
Get hand out of the circle-jerk and make your case.
Without American help, you’d be trying to insult me in German.
That’s assuming you are Russian and not one of the latest wave of fan boys that decided to come to ROK when it got trendy.
I already do speak German, and that’s not a bad thing. You’ll be speaking Spanish soon and that is a bad thing.
See above comment regarding Trump.
Nope, Racism is an ideology created by Trotsky to divide the population. It’s working more than ever if you’re willing to defend a Communist mass murderer
Trotsky did not invent the term racism, contrary to popular belief.
The biological reality of race itself divides populations.
Your complaint is with nature, not me.
So guess Irish and Scottish people are black then? LOL
See you didn’t even do your research
What nonsense are you trying to put in my mouth?
Lol silly response.
Do your research, the Anglo Saxons called them “black”
and at what point did the dragons come out?
? Google it
I think you meant to say rac(ism) is a communist term.
Wrong thread
Come again?
On racism.
Racist was a term created the Trotsky, long story short it’s meant to divide people
But bow ties.
What?
If this situation turns out to be completely unsalvageable, I’m joining a Slavic country to fight the good fight. If they slap me around, I’ll get even tougher and make some new friends.
Ali, spoke out against whites when whites were speaking out against him in droves. Get your shit together you ignorant motherfucker!!!
The Jews have been against anything Russian since they got ousted from power by Stalin. They orchestrated the Russian Revolution with the aim of creating a slave state with them at the head. Then they got thrown out. Then they created/backed Hitler and the German war machine to go after Russia, and ran the Third Reich till near the end of the war when other higher-ups saw the disaster and assasinated them. (Note that Jewish persecution didn’t happen untill a couple of years towards the end. Before that the “concentration camps” were for Christians and anyone the SS saw as a threat.) With each crime they learned from their mistakes, and now run our media and banking systems from the background.
The funny thing is that what you said is not even a conspiracy, but a well documented fact. The fact that it is treated as a conspiracy is telling.
Eastern folks generally are tougher.
I think this mentality is seen in the types of firearms produced in Russia. As an American, I have pretty good access to firearms. I have several “Russian type” firearms. They are inexpensive, rough, durable, low maintenance, and will get the job done. I think such guns (Mosin, SKS, AK) reflect the Eastern martial mindset. An AR15 looks “pretty boy” compared to the Russian weapons.
Russian designs do seem to be better at focusing on the basics.
Until you bump the gas piston housing of an AK against a wall and it stops it from cycling or realize your SKS can’t be zeroed to hit a target 25 meters away and malfunctions so bad you have to dump the whole mag and reload it to clear it. I will take a current gen M16A2/M4A1 all day long. AK-74’s are garbage that overheat and cook off after just 2 mags fired on Rapid fire.
Sorry but I’ve never heard of (let alone experienced) that problem with the AK, and my SKS seems quite accurate. The statement about not being able to zrero an SKS is just bullshit.
Both designs are almost universally regarded as more reliable than the AR platform. Don’t get me wrong. The AR is a great and arguably better platform than the AK (certainly superior to the SKS). It is certainly more accurate, flatter shooting, better long range, better sights, better ergonomics, softer recoiling rifle.
The AK is just more robust and reliable (AR is quite reliable too).
Now the M1 Garand, and M14 rifles go back to the time when men were men in America. Those are tough guns.
I do love the AR too.
I don’t know mate, you’ve just sold me on the AR. Sure more robust and reliable (the AK) but just keep you guns maintained?
My argument wasn’t that the AK is “better” than the AR. I am just saying it is “more robust”, “tougher”, “more reliable”.
The AR is “robust enough”, “reliable enough”, “tough enough”. It is also more accurate, and more ergonomic.
Both are classic firearms. Free men should own both, and any other firearms they like.
Personally, I’ve got the Mosin, the AK, and SKS (mainly because they were inexpensive, low maintenance, and shoot inexpensive yet relatively effective rounds). I’ve also shot the AR, and like it a lot. Sometime I plan to add one or two of those to my collection. They have really dropped in price lately while the AK and SKS have shot up in price.
Since you are “englishbob”, let me add that I’d also like to buy a Lee Enfield .303 British sometime as well. Those are great rifles as well. Many shooters consider them to be the pinnacle of the bolt action battle rifle design (not knocking the 1903 Springfield or the Mauser – maybe they are the pinnacle. The Mosin ain’t the pinnacle).
Ak47 not the westernized crap ak74
I’ll take the AR15 over the AK any day. Far more accurate.
Great article. Slightly off topic, but, when you look at the Russian military, namely, the army/frontline infantry on youtube…wow, they beat the shit out of each other. Sorry to say, but, when I was in the Marines “they” would have deemed the kind of hand to hand training way too risky. As it stands “they” did away with LINE training and replaced it with “marine fu”. LINE, although complex, does rapid damage to an opponent leading to efficient kills or severely disabled. Maybe other Marines here would disagree. But, shit, a day in the life of a Russian in the Army…its full on bare knuckle fighting.
Yeah, I have no experience in the military of any nation, but due to the US reliance on technology to the level that it is a crutch.. I have to see this as a potential weakness. Everything relies on GPS tracking and mobile communication and drone strikes from a pimply guy sitting in a box in the desert in Arizona. When a patrol runs into resistance, they halt and call in for a big multimillion dollar plane to come drop a shitload worth of explosives. All fine and dandy for killing some isolated brown people who are trying to chase you off their land with assault rifles. But you can’t win a war that way. And you can’t spend that level of resources to kill 3 guys if your enemy is of equivalent size (or larger in the case of Russia / China) they will just bleed you dry financially. Plus if another nation knocks out your high level communication and you no longer have the basic combat skills or the ability to operate independently without some voice in your ear telling you exactly what to do, you’re not going to last long.
The U.S. better hope that we never get into a hot war with anybody serious.
Marine Fu? Are you refering to MCMAP? I got my gray belt and they wouldn’t let me get any more because I refused to reenlist. But I’ve been considering going through all the MCIs on MCMAP and learning all the techniques on my own. I would also like to teach others. It is useful in the basics of combat fighting, nothing fancy, stick to elbows in the back of the skull, fish hooks, eye gouges, curb stomping skulls, only the most common joint manipulations, only the useful small joint manipulations, and weapons training.
Yes that’s it. They changed it towards the end of my tour. I think I have the basic belt. You’d know it better than me but many of the old Corps guys talked shit about it. But then again, what didn’t any Marine not talk shit about? That said, I still liked LINE training better.
These guys seem to be enlightening
HQBN barracks at 29 Palms. LOL
Ever eat at Tank Battalion’s chow hall 29 Palms? Fucking great chow! I mean I’d turn down a meal at Chez Paul to eat at Tanks. But, shit, that was a long time ago early 00’s. Dam, dating myself.
Ha, yeah I think Tanks is where we had our steak and lobster MC birthday lunch with our spouses. I used to go to the Naval Hospital for lunch, too. And I think Tanks was the chowhall that put together the bag nasty in the morning that you could grab and go with.
where is the proof that they’re better fighters lol? because they’re not
>trump and putin should spar
you’re a child
Looks like someone got his face smacked by Sergei in 8th grade and still remembers it.
Good article but how do you explain Andrew Golota (Pole) who got “dizzy” fighting Lenox Lewis?
It comes down to dislike towards mediocrity. Western cultures value “everyone is a champion” thing. Also, harsher life conditions means more time training rather than partying and what not. Having a culture that does not demonize masculinity also helps.
Not true. Western free market capitalism is brutal. People may be more relaxed about sports but employment legislation in the West leaves little room for mediocrity.
I can get on board with part of what you are saying; if you are competing, it can be very tough. Problem is, it is not hard to simply opt out.
The safety net is very much alive in the west.
True, people do opt out, but they often face a major drop in quality of life with or without a safety net. Competing to be the best at sports is an outlet for nations where competition in other arenas of life is suppressed or discouraged.
hahahaha free market capitalism. good one, man
Yes, free market capitalism.
Bullshit. Then why does so much scum rise to the top in America?
America has its problems, but the American economy remains a world leader.
You got more debt than there is money in the world to repay. And it keeps growing since you can’t even pay the interest on your loans. If that’s a world leader then the term is meaningless.
Absolutely, the US is in a sea of debt, but it is undeniably a leading economic power. Perhaps one day it will pay for its loose monetary policy, but more likely it will try to reinvent fiat currency.
PS. I am not American.
i’m not an expert on economics, but yeah, seems like as bad as US economic policy is, we still get by on a combination of entrepreneurial spirit, a relatively strong free market economy, and the world’s reserve currency. as bad as the dollar is, no one’s going to put their trust in the yuan, ruble, or euro anytime soon.
No. If being in so much debt that not only you can not repay it, it will keep growing forever, then you are not a leading economic power under any useful definition.
See Bucky’s comment.
Which does nothing to reduce the fact of the US debt. It can only end in hyperinflation or default.
Hyperinflation of assets pretty much already happened, which was exacerbated by quantitative easing. Debts that cannot be repaid simply won’t be repaid, and yet the Chinese government still hoards the Yankee Dollar. The US’ economic gears continue to grind, in spite of its debts.
Your economy is based on ephemeral things like trends, apps, websites, “ideas”, service jobs, and retail.
A very feminine outlook compared to the more tangible and productive industrial economies, namely China, which will soon bury your now worthless affirmative action country.
Goodbye America.
As I already stated, I am not American.
Classic economics is playing out. Manufacturing is outsourced by global companies to nations where costs are reduced. China itself will become more service based as it matures.
The USA is so far from worthless that I don’t know where to begin.
Yes, service-based economies are worthless.
Most of these countries are not feminist… I mean, in Russia, when some feminist or SJW cunt attempt to do a stupid protest against some dumb subject, they actually get beat up! Men own the streets over there.
This begs for video evidence…
It’s not “western” style response either, but just some ole fashioned whips 😉
Problem solved. Continue on with day.
I remember when this happened. The way the stoopid fucks are so surprised when the guy starts whipping them. Haven’t heard from Poosy Rot in a while……
TheGuardian’s little dreidel. They can’t find enough “good things” about the two twats. lol
Seems civilized.
That video fucking made my day. Notice how quickly this stops being fun and games the very second they give them what they deserve? Shitty masks forced off, that cunty atitude smacked around with a whip. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.
This video never gets old.
I don’t know what is going on here but this is tremendous. I am sure some women made a big deal out of the brutality, but I would point out a few things.
Anyone who shut their mouth grab their things and left was given the opportunity to do so…no jail, no courts just go home.
The men with the whips were incredibly restrained. I have never had a 220 pound Russian police office hit me at full strength in the ribs with a whip but I imagine I would not be standing after wards and I am not a thin girl. Also, notice that when one girl is tossed to he ground the officer puts her coat over her before whipping her. He isn’t beating her he is giving her a clear message. That is the first girl to leave and go home by the way.
The whip guy looks like “Just another day at the office”
To sum up this article: The smooth sea never made a skilled sailor.
hence all the disgustingly obese “people” in the west
Yep. Everyone is fatter in the West on average because of too much fast food chains and 7-Elevens.
Great quote.
The relative poverty, lack of opportunity and communist hangovers of the east is likely the explanation. In the West, outside of the very best fighters at the highest levels, it’s probably just better to be an accountant or something, certainly it’s preferable to being the guy who gets his ass beat umpteen times before he discovers he doesn’t have what it takes to make the UFC(or any kind of living)etc. which is how the vast majority of fighters and wannabe fighters end up
Given that there are many high profile big money sports like Football(soccer), NFL, Rugby etc in the west, It’s not surprising the athleticly gifted will be drawn down other avenues before ever considering getting smashed in the face for a living.
I think it’s a good thing that Combat sports are reserved for a minority, the mentally tough(or insane). I think something more like military service would be more appropriate for toughening up or making a warrior of the majority of men, rather than guys just smacking eachother in the head for recreation or a long shot at being a rich famous sportstar.
If ever the cold war between the east and the west went mano et mano: and the testosterone fuelled Obama stepped into the ring to do battle against Vladmir Putin, I really don’t think michelle would stand a chance
Michelle will probably fight for Barack lol
barry couldn’t even beat hillary if she was fighting with just one hand because the other was up Huma Abedin. Michelle on the other hand is tough looking, with man hands and a probable adam’s apple
She has bigger balls too
Correction: she has balls. Barry not so much
Meanwhile, Barack would be on the bench with his selfie stick.
Not just Eastern Europe. Latin America still has a tradition of producing fighters and other sorts of athletes. Ditto African societies such as the Hausa, the Zulu, and the Maasai. Pretty much any part of the world not touched by Western influence. And ditto Iran, who gave us the Iron Sheikh.
Problem in Peru for example is that government doesn’t give enough funds to athletes. And here in smaller cities, just like where I was born, there are no chances of practicing a martial art besides Karate. When I was 14 a Muay Thai gym opened its doors. I trained there for 1 1/2 year or so, one of the best experiences in my life.
Why do you need the government to give you money? That’s the opposite of what you need. Get your own money son!
not sure how much time you’ve spent overseas, but i found that both in EE and latin america, people’s general attitude was “we have problems because the government doesn’t take care of us” and there was this weird idea that american and european politicians are somehow more competent and honest than politicians anywhere else. totally foreign attitude to americans and, i’d imagine, anglo-saxons in general. probably the main reason that, in spite of all the massive problems the US and UK have, they continue to dominate economically.
I don’t mean that. A good part of people who are good athletes earn less than $150 a month, try to get elite training with that money. I mean, they don’t support sports. And I went to train Muay Thai with my own cash, because my parents thought it was useless.
That’s true. but government here doesn’t give a fuck about sports. And some people request too much help from them, I’m against that. But they don’t support athletes and that’s a fact. Here you have good athletes who can’t go to train as they should because they can’t afford it.
Consider going to Thailand. You can train in Muay Thai for peanuts and they’d be glad to have you.
That’s a pretty childish mentality. But it is creeping in over here.
Muay thai is now for me something of the past in fact. I’m now focused on other things nowadays, like growing my business. Although, I’d love to train in Thailand some day!
Maybe in boxing but not MMA. Even then it goes back and forth in boxing.
Finally a MMA article featuring Fedor (GOAT)
“There is no such thing as a “consolation prize.”
– actually consolation prizes always existed and were extremely common in the USSR/FSU.
“Victory. Victory at all cost…“What matters is to
take part is what losers say” could have been the motto of more than one
Soviet fighting federation. Illegal substances back in the communist
times”
– Nope. The motto of Soviet fighting organizations would be roughly the same as other sports clubs, something like “Физкульт – привет! Физкульт – ура!” (Physcult Hello! Physcult Hurrah![does not translate well, does it]). Obtaining legal or illegal substances in the USSR would be next to impossible. You seem to believe in a Rocky movie version of the USSR, friend.
I could point out errors in other paragraphs too, but I think everybody gets a point as it is. It’d be kind of cool if the author did some actual research on the topic he’s writing about. Maybe, give credit to schools of fighting or famous coaches.
If East Germany had them what would stop a young Putin in Dresden from acquiring them?
Putin didn’t get to DDR until he was 33 years old.
Also don’t confuse Warsaw Pact countries with the USSR. Rules and laws in Warsaw Pact states were a lot less strict.
Maybe
Go hit the tatami instead of bickering, “friend”.
There’s factually incorrect stuff in your article, I’m just pointing that out. What’s with people mentally jerking off to fantasies the USSR?
All of this is well and good, but in a fight, I only have to beat the man in front of me. And because I bring a gun to that fight, he better be tough enough to withstand multiple rounds center mass.
Smarter, is often better than harder.
I’m a boxing fan and in the last 15 years there is no question fighters from east have come to the fore starting with the Klitschko’s and now you have “Triple G” Gennady Golovkin alongside Sergey Kovalev
But I’d argue that there rise is only occurring because black Americans are not boxing as much as they used to. Put is this way I don’t think Triple G would have been as dominant 30 odd years when Duran, Hagler, Hearns and Leonard were around.
And I don’t think Klitschkos reign would have been as long if Lennox Lewis, Riddick Bowe, Holyfield or prime Mike Tyson were around
Doesn’t it make more sense that fighters from these countries were absent from pro boxing because of the cold war? There are plenty of black Americans in boxing now, it’s just that there were no Ukrainians(for instance) then.
A Klitschko-Tyson match would be something beyond words
Speaking for Russians, I can say, most of them are quite ideologically charged,motivated and culturally homogeneous, thus the sense of camaraderie. Also, Russia has deep rooted nationalistic and historic pride.
Modern West is multicultural, people dont have much in common apart from sharing same geographical location, passport and currency.
one of the reasons i’ve always admired russians since learning their language and learning to understand them. like any culture russian culture has its flaws, but in general right now there is a culture of beauty and strength in russia, and ugliness and weakness in the west.
Beauty and strength are definitely encouraged. Whining about stuff wont get you much simpathy.
i was at an opening at an art gallery tonight, all russian artists. i was struck by how beautiful almost all the paintings were, and how much work obviously went into developing the ability to create them. most works i see by contemporary american artists are done in a childish or abstract style, i think because the artists lack the discipline to learn to do anything more difficult. many recent american works are intentionally ugly, a reflection of degenerate american culture, i believe.
In Toronto?
nah, i’m in the american west. i don’t think my city is quite as bad as toronto, but it seems to be getting there.
Russians culturally homogeneous? You are mad (or simply ignorant), Russia is the most multi ethnic state of Europe. Mordva,Komi,Udmurts,Karelians etc
By the way,you better change your nickname- Alexander Nevsky sucked dick of Mongol Khan and went as far as Karakorum in Mongolia to beg to be a named vassal. He had to crawl on his knees for like 90 yards in front of the Khan. Later he attacked other Russian states (Pskov eg) on the side of Mongols. Pathetic son of a bitch.
I’m a big fan of Alex Lee the Ukrainian fighter… good to see him around the 2:50 mark, or someone who looks like him. The martial culture is something that needs to be redeveloped in the West. We must think of ourselves as Knights/Huscarls/Warriors training our sons, brothers, cousins and nephews to survive in war. I return to my home town next week, I will be recommencing my martial arts training.
Mirko Crocop.. Fedor… uh…
Um…
And come on.. Spetsnaz can do all the backflipping tomahawk throwing they want but they aren’t CAG, DEVGRU, or the SAS.
I get that Russian culture has a more masculine emphasis than Western culture but they aren’t churning out the same level of warriors the West is. Not yet anyway.
Yet the weak Westerners can wipe the floor militarily, financially, educationally, and technologically of the Easterners.
On a perhaps related note, I’m getting wind that apparently the Saudis are planning a ground invasion with the Turks on Syria. The reports claim they’re going after ISIS but also against the Al Assad regime. What the hell is going on over there I wonder.
Your lips to God’s ears. Let our allies the Turks and Saudis finish off the butcher Assad and get the Russians and Iranians out of Syria
The only comparable leader of the west (U.S) I would compare to Putin is Teddy Roosevelt; boxer, wrestler, swordsman, hunter, war hero and also judoka
The entire science budget of the Us should be spent on bringing Teddy back from the grave
Here we go. The RoK dudebro romance in full flower once again.
Nix all your reasons except “drive,” and change it to: They are poor. That is it. Period.
Getting hit in the head on a regular basis is not an easy way to make a living, and making a living is not even guaranteed. Staying in fighting shape week in, week out is extremely tedious, very easy to quit for a comfortable life on the couch.
Many of the Americans with champ dreams in their teens and 20s, the ones I knew, could always fall back on a life in whatever labor union they knew people in.
And the big Americans who would have become heavyweights as children before the 1990s are now being turned into linebackers or low-post basketball players. Much easier sports and they come with full-ride scholarships to university and a ticket into the middle class.
In boxing, Eastern Europeans dominate only the heavyweight division. So not only is your reasoning off, your entire premise is. After Klitchko (recently defeated by a Brit), Kovalev and GGG, how many Eastern Europeans are PPV fighters compared to black Americans and Latin Americans? You could make the case the sport is dominated by Westerners — west of the Berlin Wall and including LatAm.
Your assumption that Eastern Europeans are the best fighters would be true if only counting the world of white fighters. And in that case, it goes back to my reason: they are poor.
Read again the element “with the notable exception (…) of the Uk and the US in boxing”
So this article only applies to amateur competition of events in the Olympics?
Reduces the scope a bit. You could change the headline to “Why Fighters in the East dominate the West in amateur competition.”
We were having this conversation yesterday, with the old black belt in my Judo hall, he said they went to Russia and got hammered, they were OK standing, but as soon as they were on the ground they got slaughtered!
I remember a judo round I had with a Georgian. The bastard was so tough and stable on his legs, I could hardly move him.
No. This article is silly. Where is your reference of Muay Thai? I don’t know how you could write this without enough knowledge of the subject.
Yeah seriously. This fairly reeks of “slapped together” there was some mma mentioned briefly in the comments of another article like, yesterday, or the day before. I think that’s what prompted this.
Yeah it seems like it’s coming from a fan, not a fighter.
Pay attention to the map as Thais were not included in both groups. Who would you say dominates the Muay Thai scene now?
It really doesn’t matter who excels “on average”. All that matters is who excels where and when it counts. Ever hear of the SAS? Case closed.
Here, SAS men: looking hard as fuck
http://www.sunray22b.net/images/sas_patrol.jpg
We’re talking martial arts, not special operations.
Anyway, how are you so sure that the SAS are tougher than Spetsnaz? Just because Hollywood told you?
We’re talking about toughness, you goof. As for the so-called spetsnaz, they’re no more than girl guides and little chumps besides SAS men … a bunch of undisciplined, alcoholic goons and thugs, prancing around with their klashnikovs, aka the spray-and-pray gun. Only an idiot would even compare the spetsnaz to the legendary men of the Regiment.
Typical Anglo fag arrogance.
I bet you wouldn’t even last a day in the regular Russian army.
https://youtu.be/M0w2C9HWuUQ
Forget Spetsnaz
https://youtu.be/k1m7y7fgjBg
Get the fuck outta here dude. The US Marines does the same exact thing in SERE Training.
But the Russians are more impoverished than the Marines. Therefore according to you a Russian grade school could beat the opulent Marines. And they probably really could.
Marines love the sound of their voice, talking about how tough, proud, and few they are. Maybe they should try winning a war.
Russia won Chechnya face – to – face.
Whoa! You guys beat Chechnya, give yourself a high five.
How about the Afghanis? How about the Japanese? How about the Finns or the Swedes who’ve enslaved Russians for half of their recirded history dating back to the Normans.
Russian winter saved Russia from the Napoleon and the Nazis a century later. Not Russian might.
Well I can’t remember the last time America won a fair fight.
Soon you won’t be able to afford your beloved B-52s and B-2s (let alone manufacture them). Then we’ll see what you’re really made of.
A pro business, anti globalist president will end that trend. The ascent of Trump is only the beginning my friend.
Pro-business? So you can ship out your last remaining jobs and everyone can become a Starbucks employee or a professional blogger?
It’s fascism and nationalism you need, not more of this Pro-business Anglo/jew faggotry that’s been screwing your country over.
Two red pill factors the author missed.
1. Race. Caucasian whites (Chechens/Iranians/Armenians) are likely to posses the “warrior gene” and have the highest overall natural levels of testosterone in the world.
2. Lack of Diversity. Competing against African Americans drives Western whites out of sport. The African Americans totally outclass the whites at age 12-16, which causes slower physically maturing whites out of the sport entirely. When the whites train at a young age against their equals, they can be taught skills before they fully mature into their bodies.
Blacks and/Latinos dominate in fighting.
You mad?
what are you on about latinos? Sure Blacks are overrepresented as in most sports, but “latinos” are really only overrepresented in a few light weight classes because blacks and whites literally don’t come that small in size, certainly not in large numbers, unless they are malnourished or genetically deficient.
Aside from a large number of brazilians in MMA, i wouldn’t say Latinos dominate shit. And Brazilians are mainly European, Black, or a mixture of the two. Not the Amerindian or mestizos we usually think of as “latinos”.
Whatever. I dont buy your “White man is God” Bullshit.
Poverty creates a martial mentality. Hence why the best fighters come from the ghetto and/or 3rd World countries. The worse the poverty, the more hardened the mentality.
Bullshit. If that were true then India and Africa would be producing all the best fighters in the world.
I know Americans like simple, linear explanations for everything, but not in this case.
Difference in opinion. On average, I would bet on the 5’6″ Thai or sub Saharan African over the Eastern European any day. Poverty hardens people.
Yeah dumb premises lead to dumb conclusions.
Pound for pound absolutely. But the dudebros on this site have a hardon for Russia.
Sure thing troll. Your Spetsnaz did real well in Afghanistan [a real 3rd World country].
I don’t quite understand it myself.
Sure thing troll. The Russians got their asses handed to them in Afghanistan [a real 3rd World country]. Poverty hardens people.
And that Russio-Japanese War. It seems Russia only performs well against other western countries. You have to go back centuries to measure that last time they successfully took on Asiatics.
By your logic the Russians should have won, being more impoverished and hardened according to you.
This just proves you’re too dumb to reason in a straight line.
But I loved reading your resume. I know, every student in America is a valedictorian, 4.0 GPA, pre-med, Ivy league genius.
In your affirmative action, Hollywood-ending nation they hand these things out like candy.
Too bad in reality you can’t debate properly and base your views on toughness by what you saw in a Rocky movie.
Your infantile nation is rightfully at it’s end.
A history of Russians at war:
Afghanistan-got asses kicked.
WW II- saved by winter against Germany fighting a 2 front war.
WW I- dropped out due to getting asses kicked. Then got asses kicked by the Bolsheviks. Truly pathetic.
Russio Japanese War- got asses kicked. Refuses to fight the Japanese during WW II due to said ass kicking.
Crimean War-got asses kicked.
Napoleonic Wars-saved by winter.
BUT…
Beat Chechnya though!
Good job dumb ass. If you need to steal any more technology from us like the nuke, let us know.
Yeah but your whole argument is that poverty makes people tougher.
Russia should have won most of those wars, by your logic.
Lol pre-med, isn’t everyone? Why don’t you try POST-med?
Kruschev backed down from JFK at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Meanwhile, Kim Jong Un invites nuclear confrontation.
NK has nothing lose whereas Russia does.
Poverty is not the end-all be-all, [it still comes down to the unduvidual] but in my humblest opinion, is the largest single factor in determining killer instinct.
and at what point did the dragons come out?
What angry comments? As an American, I completely agree. When a 13 year white girl is raped in Europe, her father apologizes to the rapist, her family, her country and finally she does herself. A 13 year old Russian migrant in Germany was raped, and 200 men showed up packed into cars and beat down every ‘refugee’ in the center the rapist was staying.
San bernardino happens and the US politely asks apple to help with its soft investigation. A Russian plane is shot down and within 48 hours pamphlets are released in Syria warning the residents they are about to be bombed. And then they do it less than a day later, and continue to do it.
There is no comparison whatsoever to the wet noodle actions of the West vs the hardened, harsh measures the East takes. Men in the West tend to be wimpy pussies who can’t even bench a half of their body weight (personally witnessed this).
1. Cite for the first paragraph?
2. Sure because we have a right to privacy and a right not to be subjected to unlawful search and seizure. Apple is on firm ground here despite Trump’s impotent talk of a boycott. And as for the Russians, sure they scraped together enough aircraft to make bombing runs. Except they’re not targeting IS. They’re targeting pro-western anti-Assad forces. And their avionics suck so much that when their missiles aren’t landing in Iran they’re bombing hospitals. As for the 3rd paragraph, that’s just more dudebro gym rat nonsense.
1. http://dailycaller.com/2016/02/04/refugees-go-clubbing-in-russia-harass-girls-wake-up-in-hospital-the-next-morning/
2. Terrorists who have killed people are not average american citizens. False Equivalency.
3. I trust a man who shows no care for himself to care for nothing. I refuse to respect someone who does not respect himself as well.
1. Daily Caller? Why not Newsmax, World Nut Daily or Infowars?
2. If you believe the Feds won’t use the technology to open the terrorists’ iPhone to spy on Americans in general then I’ve got some oceanfront property in Kansas to sell you.
3. Because a 180lb man can’t press more than half his own weight he has no respect for himself? That’s funny. And you totally dodged my point about Russia’s rapacious behavior in Syria
1. Funny thing, that wasn’t even the real article; it happened in Germany too after a 13 year russian migrant was raped by refugees. The event in question did happen. You avoided commenting on it and tried to shoot the messenger instead. Typical. If the dailystormer said 2+2=4, does it stop being so?
2. Like I said, proven terrorist =/= US citizen. The idea that everyone should be allowed rights for the sake of everyone’s rights is idiotic. If non-citizens have the same rights as citizens, yet citizens owe duty to the government (taxes) simply for being citizens, what is the point of being a citizen? And if there is no point to being a citizen, what reason does that country have to exist? You have no proof, no coherent response, and your argument is a clumsy attempt to poison the well.
3. People like you are the reason we have an obesity epidemic. The world isn’t a nice place; when I was fat, I was shamed. Because I was shamed, I lost the weight. I imagine I would only have a couple more decades to live if people hadn’t told me off for it. But you’re right; people feeling undue pride in themselves for accomplishing nothing is more important than them having a happy life where they live past the age of 50.
Violence begets violence. It seems you want to ban powerful countries from recompense for acts against them. This leads to the collapse of civilization and the rise of international elitists who treat nations like vassals.
I agree, I did the sport weightlifting in high school and my coach was from the Soviet Union. My training was extremely thorough. No lift was ever perfect; always mistakes to correct, all the time. And the pace was relentless. But it was worth it, because all 120 lbs of me could clean more than the best rowers and football guys up stairs with their retarded techniques.
Another thing is mentality. Eastern Europeans are less likely to go strutting around pretending to be tough. They are quieter, more humble I believe.
Empty vessels make the loudest noise.
That guy is facing a rape accusation now.
Lets not get overly excited. You’re going to compare a World Champion to hobbyists? Apples and oranges. There is no world champion in a combat sport who doesn’t treat it seriously. To call them “hobbyists” is insulting. I know world champions and trust me, they can fight.
One thing that they don’t have in the East that we do have here is sports science and technology. I’ll put that up against living in the mountains pushing tractors any day.
As example, one of my friends, a former English world champion was attacked in the street by a young guy from the East. My friend is middle-aged, blind in one eye and has had two hip replacements. He left that guy bleeding profusely from various orifices in his head.
No world champion is a hobbyist on that I agree. But as a regular tractor pusher, I find the mental aspect beneficial compared to the spotless environment of a sport research center.
“In practice we always base our preparations against an enemy on the
assumption that his plans are good; indeed, it is right to rest our
hopes not on a belief in his blunders, but on the soundness of our
provisions. Nor ought we to believe that there is much difference
between man and man, but to think that the superiority lies with him who
is reared in the severest school.”
―
Thucydides
Is it easy and west? While I generally agree with this article couldn’t the same be said for, say, blacks in Detroit? Pikeys in Ireland? Mexican/Colombian/Bolivian drug cultures? People who grow up under FARK commandos? Miners in West Virginia? Those 3 Haitian guys who don’t have AIDS?
Yeah man I agree. It’s relative poverty that hardens people, not nationality or race. The Russians are probably on average the most hardened of the caucasoids due to this. But, they’ve gotten their asses whipped by every non white military they’ve gone up against [Afghanistan, Japanese, Ottomans during the Crimean War, etc.] in the past 150 years. The Russian pedistalization on this site is intense.
You are on Crack. The Soviets punked the Japanese twice in the late 30s.
Sure. The border skirmishes of the 1930’s were minor consequences compared to the historical losses Russia suffered from the Japanese in 1905.
Which was the impetus to overthrow the Czars and become a world power. I doubt that Japanese victory could have been repeated anytime after 1920 or so.
Perhaps. The Soviets refused to attack the Japanese [and invade Manchuria] until after we dropped the first nuke.
Part of this was avoiding a two front war; the other part, in my opinion, is due to lessons learned from 1905. Japan is still the only country in history to annihilate 2/3’s Russian Pacific and Baltic naval fleets [Battle of Tsushima].
As Chris Rock said, the lower you go down the social ladder, the better the fighters. Blacks are good fighters, Cubans even better, and for every great Cuban fighter, there’s an American Indian just waiting to kick his ass.
Matt Forney has lots of things about figthing.
Very insightful column and an excellent video.
The videos on that channel never fail to motivate me.
Agree 100%
All the media is controlled by jews here, and so any White men that can kick the ass of brown like Rocky Marciano or Jack Dempsey can’t make it here anymore. Raging Bull with Robert De Niro told the story of how Rocky Graziano was made by the promoters and his managers to take a dive for black chump Sugar Ray Robinson. He wouldn’t fall down and they were pissed, but he still threw the fight because they threatened him and his wife if he didn’t. In Russia, the jew oligarchs have to give them what they want, a clean fight, so all the black chumps that could get gilded belts here get clobbered there.
Raging Bull was about Jake LaMotta.
This article is spot on when discussing the differences between the East and West. Many years ago, Western society was very different than it is now. Coaches such as Vince Lombardi would push athletes to achieve things that they never thought they could. When I applied a similar approach while coaching a youth football team, I received nothing but hate from the mothers, but most of the fathers secretly loved it. Getting little Johnny to put down the bag of chips and get his butt off the couch has never been so hard.
Except none of this translated
That was actually a pretty inspiring article, Jean, thank you. The East has some good cultural aspects we can aspire to add to our own regime of self-improvement. This is the kind of mindset we should all be in when we work out, even if it’s on our own.
Also, I got to see Pussy Riot getting beaten up again In spicynujac’s comment video. This is turning out to be a pretty good day.
Good on ya, mate. Keep it up
The secret for better fighters in the East is…Kratom of course
Back in the day, I could run 12k without breaking a sweat. Eighty pushups and 120 situps. I could shoot a loonie out of a bullseye at 100 metres and I was only third best shot in my unit.
.
This was back in the 80s – the Cold War – and the strangest thing is that we respected the Spetznas. We held our enemy in high regard.
yeah, this whole masculinisation thing about being obsessed with victory and having no heart, affection, or compassion, goes against the heart of martial arts, also you left out china and japan, guess you just didn’t want to focus on countries which didn’t fit yoru hyper toxic masculinity narrative, anyway i’m deleting this comment because i’m not constantly editing one comment to reply, and honestly I have beter things to do with my time.
Yuo can into fuckings off, не?
But no one’s forcing you to come to this site and read its articles. Why should you care what others write?
Sorry, we don’t have much to cater to the interests of 35-year-old fat virgins who dress like ponies.
Read, learn something and carry on with your Naruto marathon, boy.
Kind of the old nature and nurture type of thing.
The role of one’s environment.
I’m not doubting the strength of mother Russia.
But you can look to the ghettos in the west.
Tyson and Ali.
I live in Ali’s hometown. He did not grow up in a ghetto. His family was solidly middle class.
You do realize that whole “victory at any cost” is what drives the Social Justice Warriors, right? And that us easterners actually have a rat up our ass when it comes to honor and traditions, which are usually the opposite of the “win at all costs” crowd? So, no, speaking as someone who was raised from the East, I have to disagree on that point. Honor, after all, is what separates us from the animals and the SJWs. You cannot have a culture of honor and respect if you are more than happy to sacrifice your morals for a shallow victory.
Honor must be kept at all cost, on that I concur. But the whole Soviet machinery had a lot of common traits with modern SJW. Luckily, today’s Russia has evolved.
And an alarming amount of the alt-right has adopted a lot of SJW mannerisms. Where the SJW will call someone racist/sexist/homophobic whenever that person disagrees with them, now the alt-right does the same thing with the words cuck/cuckservative.
This article is bullshit.I was born and grew up in Ukraine,I did boxing as a child.Your mental masturbation re: causes is absolutely irrelevant.
The reasons why martial arts are popular there:
-Widespread poverty and subsequent street violence
-Overcrowded schools with lack of facilities= a lot of bullying.The bullying in our schools is massive,cruel and often ends up tragically.Even countries which are very developed safe and prosperous now (Estonia eg) still suffer from it (watch movie Klass e.g.)
-This is relevant for Ukraine,Russia and Belarus: impotent and corrupt police. Everything is in your own hands.Also you rarely get prosecuted for street violence as opposite to the west-police is not interested.
-something to do with communism and genocides of 20 century. The society in Russian Empire was less violent on personal level. Also a proof re communism is Cuba-it has produced a lot of boxing and wrestling champions,while,say,Dominican republic or Haiti none.
-soviets installed a lot of boxing and wrestling clubs,mainly because USSR was dirt poor to develop advanced sports on wider scale (tennis,rowing,hockey etc) while a boxing or judo gym does not require much investment. Subsequently you wont find a good hockey club in every city but you will certainly find a boxing club or ten. The local governments reported back that the 5 yearly plan of “local sports development” was completed while not investing or doing much. Also,USSR never had much sports at school or University level with some rare exemptions mainly in capitals (Moscow,Kyiv,Minsk etc)
I am only talking about Eastern and central Europe.Not interested to comment on Caucasus and Central Asia -those monkeys still live in middle ages and there should be a wall built around them (and around Russia too which is full with violent muds too, mainly Chechens-they basically control everything there).
You basically agreed with my views at 80%
Living in China there are no chaps in my weight class. However, I would pay a G-note to roll with Putin. He is not my favourite guy but I respect him. While I chinsed out to pay the fees to get my orange belt in judo I have a dozen more years in various combat arts. I think it would be rather trippy.
Do you let your girlfriend read all your posts on Disqus? Better yet, show them to her father. I hope he beats your misogynistic ass.
She has no inclination to do so. Her father is not someone high in my regard; he treats his daughter like crap. If anyone is a misogynist it is her father, not me.
.
But you are not a misogynist, you are a misanthrope.
Nah, he’s a Beta pussy. They are always running their fucking mouths, like little yap dogs. Go orbit some 5, Dennis.
I respect him too. He’s a man’s man, not a pussy. Too many of our leaders are pussies.
Vlad should bring them for a 3 months retreat to Siberia. Let’s see who survives
India has some of the most awesome wrestlers in history. If I had a time machine I would love to see some real “mixed martial arts”.
The Great Gama would have been something impressive to see in action
I like ROK, but saying that Eastern fighters are better then western fighters is a rather silly claim. Not to mention an easily disprovable one. A quick search of sherdogs top 10 mma rankings for each weight class show that only 2 out of 110 fighters claim an Eastern European country as their country of origin. That’s puts the percentage of EE fighters in the top 10 of their weight class at only 1.8%. With the majority of top fighters coming from America or Brazil.
This article did not classify Brazil as a Western nation. Sherdog only focuses on MMA and classic English boxing if my memory serves me well.
It contradicts itself – how exactly the state provides greater support when in the same time they lack funding? Utter BS
Your forgetting the Irish Fighters – and they are born and bred in the West!
Conor McGregor!
Tyson Fury!
Andy Lee!
Current and recent World Champions!
The girl eating a banana. . .Hilarious! My sensei was very into makeshift training equipment. We squat lifted cinder blocks and passed them off and stuff like that. His reasoning about not gym weight training made sense: He said that machines didn’t give you the balance and overall strength that using everyday objects would. Nature works best, and guys who dug ditches all day could beat gym rats anytime because of attitude and development. I pretty much believe that.
Agreed
My old man thought weight lifting was bad for the joints. He trained me using resistance springs, resistance rubber straps, dynamic tension, and found objects like those you mentioned.
Your dad was right! The guy who played the original Darth Vader’s body was a weightlifter who trained many actors and athletes. I think his name was Mark Pruse or something. Anyway, he weight lifted the equivalent of two London buses a day. He spent the rest of his life in a wheel chair because he destroyed his joints.
I dunno whether we can claim Eastern fighters are better than Western fighters as a whole.. I mean, this isn’t the days of Genghis Khan. Not every Mongolian boy is expected to ride a horse, shoot a bow, and raze a European castle by his 13th birthday. However, I would say that Eastern man are in general tougher than Western men.. with a few exceptions, like Japan and the rapidly growing Chinese middle class. The chief reason being the pussyfication of Western males and demonization of anything masculine, as well as the general wealth and comfort level in the West.
I always remember George Galloway saying, “The day the USSR fell was the worst day of my life”. He has been vilified from the Left to the Right for this statement. But I’m starting to see some validity in it.. the day the world became a unipolar superpower with the USA at the top, was the day Western men starting growing fat and complacent.
In Mongolia, they have this celebration called the Naadam, which is focused around three disciplines : horse riding, Wrestling and archery, also known as “The Three Games of Men”. The championships also take place everywhere in Mongolia during the summer and you can see boys as young as 4 or 5, riding horses and wrestling.
It is indeed expected of Mongolian boys to be strong and able to fight. Great champions of Mongolian Wrestling are often seen as demi-gods.